Tops with musical mechanism



Oct. 27, 1964 F. FUCHS 3,153,968 TOPS WITH MUSICAL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 0C) 0 O I INVENTOR FRIEDRICH FUCHS ATTORNEYS Oct. 27, 1964 F. FUCHS TOPS WITH MUSICAL- MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 17, 1960 INVENTOR FRIEDRICH FUCHS 5 f ATTORNEYS United States. Patent The invention relates to a musical top the housing or shell of which can be rotated, for example, by means of a spindle drive and within which a sound producing mechanism with sound discs is accommodated.

In such tops :1 housing or shell has hitherto been provided which is composed of an upper part and a lower part. The lower part, which is rotated by the driving mechanism, entrains the upper part and is therefore rigidly connected therewith. The two parts cannot be taken asunder by the user without damaging them. The top thus has to be sent to the factory, for example, to enable the fitted parts to be repaired. As a result, such tops when no longer operative, are generally thrown away as useless. Frequently, however, it would not be difiicult to repair these tops if the internal components were accessible.

The known musical tops are also open to the objection that they can always only play the tune which the sound producing mechanism is capable of producing. When the toy is used repeatedly, the interest aroused by this tune gradually wears 01f.

To overcome this, the construction according to the invention is such that the upper and lower parts or" the housing are detachably held together so that the inner parts are easily accessible, for example, for repairing. In addition, in the case of a musical top, provision is made according to the invention for exchanging the parts determining the sound sequence of the sound producing device, for example perforated discs. It is therefore possible according to the invention, not only to repair quickly any slight damage to the driving mechanism and the like, but also, what is still more important, to vary the tunes by exchanging the appropriate parts of the sound producing mechanism for others. Consequently the top can be manipulated somewhat in the manner of a phonograph.

In addition to these advantages, which are particularly important for the user, the stock keeping and selling is facilitated for the producer and dealer. For example, contrary to heretofore, any wish of the customers can be taken into consideration, for example, in that it is only necessary to fit the sound disc desired by the customer in a top of a certain external design. Consequently fewer finished tops need be stocked. It will suffice if a number of sound discs and a certain number of top housings with mechanisms are kept in stock.

The proposal according to the invention can be carried into effect in various ways. For example, as the rim of the upper part of the housing and the rim of the lower part of the housing can engage one over the other with force fit in slip-on-lid fashion, rotatable non-circular members can be provided on the inner rim which on being turned bear against abutments, for example, an annular shoulder on the outer rim and thereby lift it off. It is, however, also possible to introduce a bar, key or the like through an aperture of appropriate shape between a shoulder on the outer rim and the upper edge of the inner rim, which bar enables the outer rim to be forced or levered oif the lower rim, thereby efiecting the removal of the upper part from the lower part.

Whereas in these two forms of construction auxiliary implements in the form of a turn key or a lever bar are required, it is also possible to carry into effect the proposal of the invention so that such auxiliary implements 3,153,968 Ce 1 Patented Oct. 27, 1964 can be dispensed with. In this case one of the rims, preferably the inner rim, is subdivided by slots into several resilient segments which, when the two rims are slipped one over the other, constitute a force fit of sufiicient strength to entrain the other part of the housing, but, on the other hand, have a certain amount of yield which enables the two parts of the housing to be separated without the use of tools.

In the case of a top, the mechanical mechanism of which consists substantially of two axially superposed discs, the lower of which carries the reeds while the upper one is provided with apertures determining the sound sequence, the upper disc, which is the actual sound disc, is exchangeable according to the invention. It sits rotatable yet axially shift-able on a rotary sleeve and is pressed against the lower reed disc by means of a resilient attachment which can be easily removed from the rotary sleeve.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a musical top partly in elevation and partly in section;

FIG. 2 is a part section on a larger scale, taken on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a part section also on a larger scale taken on line IlI-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows in perspective view the upper part of the housing and the companion lower part of the housing of a top shortly before they are fitted together;

FIG. 5 is an inverted perspective view of the upper part of the housing showing another means of holding the pressure spring for the sound disc.

In the form of construction illustrated in FIG. 1 the top consists substantially of a base stand a, a lower housing or shell part b, a corresponding upper housing or shell part c, a cover d and knob-handle e for actuating the spindle drive. This and the driving mechanism associated therewith are not shown in the drawing and, being known, do not need to be described.

A sound producing mechanism is fitted within the lower housing part b and consists substantially of a lower disc with reeds g and an upper control disc h with apertures i determining the sound sequence. As this sound producing mechanism is known it is not necessary to describe it in detail.

The important factor is that the sound control disc h is rotated and at the same time held in its operative position on the lower disc 1.

A rotary drive sleeve k serves as driving element and engages by means of a flap or key I in a groove in the neck m of the sound control disc 11 md thus drives it.

A spring 11 pressing on the sound control disc h surrounds the neck m and carries a nipple 0 provided with two axially parallel opposite grooves p and p by means of which the nipple 0 can be slipped over the radially projecting diametrically opposite pins q and (1 of the ro tary sleeve in order, after being turned, to rest with its upper rim against the pins q and g Thus it is only necessary, after the removal of the upper housing part and its driving elements, especially the spindle r, to turn the nipple 0 slightly and then pull it off in upward direction over the pins q and g in order to be able to exchange the sound control disc h for another.

The neck or stem m at the center of the control disc It may be grasped, if desired, so that the disc may be lifted vertically above the upper end of the drive sleeve k and replaced by another disc apertured for a different tune.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 a modification is shown which does not require any special toolto separate the upper and lower parts of the shell or housing. This is rendered possible by the fact that one of the two rims, for example the inner rim t of the housing part b, is divided by axial incisions or slots 2, into a plurality of resilient sections or segments Z1 which, when the housing is closed, bear with sufficient force fit against the rim s of the upper housing part c, but, owing to their yieldability, enable the two housing parts to be taken asunder by hand.

According to FIG. 5, it is possible for the construction to be such that, when removing the upper part of the housing, the spring 11 is removed at the same time, so that on the one hand it is not necessary to lift otf the spring by itself and on the other hand there is no danger of it getting lost while changing the sound disc. According to the invention a fan blade 1', in any case present in the upper housing part c, is provided on its side adjacent the axle with flaps j, and which are initially bent laterally but which when the spring n with its nipple o is fitted are bent outwards so that they stand diametrically, that is come into the plane of the fan blade and thereby engage the coils of the spring so that the spring is carried by the fan blade j when the upper housing part is being removed.

I claim:

1. In a musical top of the type adapted to be set into rotation by a spindle drive and having interchangeable sound-producing discs, a housing for enclosing the soundproducing means and comprising upper and lower shell parts, releasable means for connecting together said upper and lower shell parts, a reed-carrying disc mounted in the lower shell part to rotate therewith, an apertured sound control disc resting upon the upper face of said reed- .carrying disc and having a series of apertures formed therein for controlling the passage of air through diiferent portions of said reed-carrying disc, means mounted in said lower shell part for rotating said control disc with respect to said reed-carrying disc comprising a rotary drive sleeve extending upwardly from said lower shell part through a central opening in said reed-carrying disc and through a central opening in said control disc, 2. driving connection between said control disc and said rotary sleeve for rotating said control disc with said sleeve and relative to said reed-carrying disc, said connection being freely releasable by vertical movement of said control disc beyond the upper end of said drive sleeve, a spindle carried by the upper shell part in a vertical position so that the lower end thereof is located within the upper end of said rotary sleeve when said shell parts are connected together, a helical spring surrounding said spindle and having its upper end secured to said upper shell part, and the lower end of said spring extending downwardly around said rotary sleeve and yieldably pressing said apertured control disc into engagement with said reed-carrying disc, said spring and spindle being removable with said upper shell part when said upper shell part is separated from said lower shell part, thereby fully exposing said control disc for removal by vertical movement above the upper end of said drive sleeve.

2. A musical top according to claim 1 wherein said driving connection between said control disc and said drive sleeve comprises a neck portion on said control disc surrounding said drive sleeve and provided with a vertical keyway therein, and a vertical key carried by said rotary drive sleeve and engaging said keyway, said neck portion extending above said control disc and in a position where it may be grasped by the hand and lifted vertically be yond the upper end of said drive sleeve.

3. A musical top according to claim 1 wherein said releasable means for connecting together said upper and lower shell parts comprises cylindrical rim portions on said upper and lower parts, respectively, said rim portions being relatively slidable axially one over the other to define inner and outer rim portions, said inner rim portion being slotted at spaced points about its periphery to provide a plurality of resilient segments bearing against said outer rim portion when said rim portions are placed in telescoping relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 335,843 Richardson Feb. 9, 1886 398,241 Ehrlich et a1. Feb. 19, 1889 748,087 Mighels et al. Dec. 29, 1903 898,510 Schlafly Sept. 15, 1908 1,623,133 Petrie Apr. 5, 1927 1,890,151 Hadley Dec. 6, 1932 2,841,920 Balleis July 8, 1958 2,950,641 Bruetting Aug. 30, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,752 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1885 3,533 Great Britain Sept. 6, 1878 48,445 Germany Sept. 10, 1889 

1. IN A MUSICAL TOP OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO BE SET INTO ROTATION BY A SPINDLE DRIVE AND HAVING INTERCHANGEABLE SOUND-PRODUCING DISCS, A HOUSING FOR ENCLOSING THE SOUNDPRODUCING MEANS AND COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER SHELL PARTS, RELEASABLE MEANS FOR CONNECTING TOGETHER SAID UPPER AND LOWER SHELL PARTS, A REED-CARRYING DISC MOUNTED IN THE LOWER SHELL PART TO ROTATE THEREWITH, AN APERTURED SOUND CONTROL DISC RESTING UPON THE UPPER FACE OF SAID REEDCARRYING DISC AND HAVING A SERIES OF APERTURES FORMED THEREIN FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF AIR THROUGH DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF SAID REED-CARRYING DISC, MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID LOWER SHELL PART FOR ROTATING SAID CONTROL DISC WITH RESPECT TO SAID REED-CARRYING DISC COMPRISING A ROTARY DRIVE SLEEVE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID LOWER SHELL PART THROUGH A CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID REED-CARRYING DISC AND THROUGH A CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID CONTROL DISC, A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID CONTROL DISC AND SAID ROTARY SLEEVE FOR ROTATING SAID CONTROL DISC WITH SAID SLEEVE AND RELATIVE TO SAID REED-CARRYING DISC, SAID CONNECTION BEING FREELY RELEASABLE BY VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTROL DISC BEYOND THE UPPER END OF SAID DRIVE SLEEVE, A SPINDLE CARRIED BY THE UPPER SHELL PART IN A VERTICAL POSITION SO THAT THE LOWER END THEREOF IS LOCATED WITHIN THE UPPER END OF SAID ROTARY SLEEVE WHEN SAID SHELL PARTS ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER, A HELICAL SPRING SURROUNDING SAID SPINDLE AND HAVING ITS UPPER END SECURED TO SAID UPPER SHELL PART, AND THE LOWER END OF SAID SPRING EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AROUND SAID ROTARY SLEEVE AND YIELDABLY PRESSING SAID APERTURED CONTROL DISC INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID REED-CARRYING DISC, SAID SPRING AND SPINDLE BEING REMOVABLE WITH SAID UPPER SHELL PART WHEN SAID UPPER SHELL PART IS SEPARATED FROM SAID LOWER SHELL PART, THEREBY FULLY EXPOSING SAID CONTROL DISC FOR REMOVAL BY VERTICAL MOVEMENT ABOVE THE UPPER END OF SAID DRIVE SLEEVE. 